VERY LIMITED — RARE ALLOCATION

Domaine du Collier's La Charpentrie is one of the estate's most serious and sought-after white wines, produced by Antoine Foucault from an extraordinary old-vine parcel in Brézé, with vines more than 100 years old.

Antoine Foucault, son of the late Charly Foucault of Clos Rougeard, has established Domaine du Collier as one of Saumur's most revered estates. His tiny production of age-worthy Chenin Blanc has developed a cult following among collectors and sommeliers, with the wines increasingly difficult to source.

La Charpentrie 2022 is deeper, more powerful and more sombre than the domaine's Saumur Blanc, while retaining the crystalline precision that defines Collier. The nose is complex and expressive, revealing lime, white flowers and ripe pineapple, followed by a concentrated palate of bright citrus, chalk and finely etched mineral character.

There is remarkable power and tension beneath the wine's silky texture. Mouthwatering acidity drives the palate through an exceptionally long finish, where salinity, chalky minerality and fine citrus intensity persist.

A wine of extraordinary structure and longevity, combining the concentration of more than a century-old Chenin vines with the precision and restraint of Antoine Foucault's élevage. La Charpentrie is unquestionably one of the great dry white wines of Saumur and a bottle built for the cellar.

95–97/100 — Rebecca Gibb MW, Vinous

Grape: 100% Chenin Blanc
Region: Brézé, Saumur, Loire Valley, France
Vintage: 2022
Lieu-dit: La Charpentrie
Vines: 100+ years old
Style: Dry white
Farming: Manual, low intervention
Élevage: Extended aging in seasoned oak
Cellaring: Exceptional potential